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this spring i'm going to be in paris. for two weeks!!! finally i get to take care of bucket list #1. go to the Louvre!!! my stomach does somersaults when i think that! i majored in art and to finally get to lay eyes on the mona lisa....holey rusted metal batman!
but anyway...the whole power adapter/voltage changer thing has me bumfiggled....maybe since i'm married to an electrician, i should ask him, huh? i'm worried about my hair dryer...and all the chargers..
is there anything that i need to know before i get there? i've been surfing travel sites and reading every book at the book store about paris....i even found a nice little pocketbook of common french phrases with it spelled phonetically, so i think that will help...should we stay at a hotel or find a nice vacation property...
davis is cajun, so it'll be nice to be somewhere and not have our last name butchered and mispronounced....it's nice to have a 'complicated' last name sometimes- makes it super easy to weed out the telemarketers on the phone....i've only have one get it right and it turns out she was from Shreveport...
and i'll be the bestest blogger and take LOTS of pictures (as if)!! i'm hoping we'll have wifi and i'll be able to blog from there....
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You will love it. I got the chance to go there for 1 day and fell in love in that very short time. I was in London and took the high speed train to Paris for the day. 2 weeks will be fantastic!! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteOh so jealous! Two of my sons have been there but not poor ole mom. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteLucky you.....congrats! New experience from the bucket list, you can't get better than that. Get to packing!
ReplyDeleteMost of the better hotels have hair dryers, so don't pack that. If you plan to use the phone, internationally it is going to cost you major $$$$, so you might want to rethink that. You may also have to have international service turned on.(Depends on the carrier and your plan.)
ReplyDeletePick up one of the electrical adapters (continental europe) which go on everything. Don't forget to contact the credit card companies and get a "chip & pin" card. Have you got the passort yet?
Call me (or the hubby) if you need more info.
Hi Shannon,
ReplyDeleteIf you decide to take your dryer, check it to see if it is compatible with both 110 as well as the other wattage. You might see a button to change the wattage. If it is, you'll just need the little plug adapter so it can go into the outlet. If it isn't compatible, you'll need the converter. Try the luggage store, they have lots of cool stuff.
Check out the Clark Howard website for info on phone cards and using your phone from Paris. I think you can purchase a phone card in Paris, but check the site for info. Otherwise, it will be really expensive to call back to the US.
And like someone else mentioned, call your credit card issuer so they will know you're traveling to Europe and you should be fine. Also check with them about the conversion charges. Some cards charge several dollars per purchase to change the currency back to US dollars so they can bill you. Make a copy of your passport - open to your photo page and store it away from your passport.
Paris is a beautiful city. Be sure to take lots of photos - you might want to take extra camera batteries as they might be expensive too. Or if your camera is rechargeable, be sure the converter will work with it too.
Also, check amazon.com to see what kind of downloadable books they have about Paris for your Kindle. I think there might be a free one.
Have a great time.
Linda
If you make an attempt to speak French, Parisians will be more likely to try to speak/understand English.
ReplyDeleteParis is actually quite far north and can be quite chilly in Spring.
Your electrician husband will know what devices will work as expected with an adapter ... and which ones won't. If they have a switch on them for 220, then they are designed to travel ;-)
I am green with envy. I lived and worked in France a while ago and still think of it as my second home.
Welcome to France! I hope you will fully enjoy your stay. Unfortunately I live quite far away from Paris, but feel free to ask me anything! All comments above are clever, beware of our 220! A photocopy of your Passport is very important, I lost my Pass in NYC and was very thankful to my DH to have made one...
ReplyDeleteIf my mail address doesn't show, just leave a comment at my blog : La Ruche des Quilteuses (quilteuseforever.wordpress.com).
Best,
Katell
Toulouse,France
You will love Paris. I could spend hours in the Louvre, just as I could the V&A Museum in London. If you get a chance, be sure to see the Musee D'Orsay, Jeu de Paume and Musee de La Mode et du Textile. Also go check out the quilt shop Le Rouvray near the Notre Dame Cathedral. The owner also has roots in Tennessee. :-) Sewing pamphlets/brochures/business cards from the Textile Museum and quilt shop would make a great souvenir pour vous (et moi!).
ReplyDeleteShannon, my DH lived in France for a year and he had no desire to return to Paris. We were going to be in the South of France and I said if we don't go now, I will never see Paris. We went for 3 days and had a ball. Love that city. We have now been there a total of 3 times. Adore England. But, our favorite is Italy. We have been there 4 times and can't wait to go again.
ReplyDeleteWe don't bother making calls in Europe or while we are on a cruise. It is too expensive. We have the converters for the hair dryer and the iPod & iPad that we travel with Call your credit and debit card companies/banks and notify them of travel. We each now travel with different credit cards as my DH was pickpocketed in Paris on the metro - and we each carried the same card. Fortunately, I had cashed the rest of our traveler's checks and had enough cash to get home on. We stopped the card right away. I wear my passport hanging in a packet around my neck and tucked into the waist of my pants. I also bought a steel wire lined purse at a travel store - and I always wear my purse across my body - it is very secure. I use it on all trips and has been a great investment.
Have a wonderful time.
Marilyn
Hi Shannon: I went to London and Paris for my "big" birthday. Buy your tickets for the Louvre before you leave the US. Don't have to stand in line then! Get there right when it opens then make a bee-line for Mona. My daughter and I did that and we were alone with her for almost 15 minutes! She was magnificent! After walked around the museum, we went back to Mona. Couldn't see her at all for all the people.
ReplyDeleteYes, try to speak French. It really will make a difference.
My 25th wedding anniversary is in -2- years. I told my husband I want to be standing in Paris on that day~~with him, of course!! We shall see!